


Blender for LiS-fans

by simpletextadventure



Category: Blender - Fandom, Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: blender, tutorial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:11:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21696823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpletextadventure/pseuds/simpletextadventure
Summary: A simple blender tutorial especially for people from the Life is Strange fandom.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 12





	Blender for LiS-fans

**Author's Note:**

> The idea behind this tutorial is: Learning by Doing.  
I will show you an explicit thing and hopefully in this process you will learn many skills that you can then adapt to do many other things.  
  
I am not a professional. There may be better ways to accomplish what I show here.  
  
I tried to make this as short as possible without leaving out useful and important things.  
If something is unintelligible in this tutorial, I would be happy if you would point it out to me so that I can improve it.  
  
I tried to make this tutorial so that a complete beginner can do it.  
Nevertheless, if you have no experience with blender at all, I recommend this video, which shows you the absolute basics:  
<https://youtu.be/TPrnSACiTJ4?t=132>

At the end of this chapter you will know how to create a picture like this.  


For the picture we need a 3D model of Kate.  
To get the 3D model, we need the program umodel (and of course we need Life Is Strange).  
Umodel can be downloaded from this page: [ https://www.gildor.org/en/projects/umodel#files](https://www.gildor.org/en/projects/umodel#files)  
So the first step is to start umodel.  
  
Set the path to the game files.  
For example, on my system the path is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Life Is Strange  
Then press OK.

It may take a moment for this window to appear.  
  
Click on the folder CookedPCConsoleFinal to display the files of the first episode  
  
Select the file E1_2A_ArtClass_LD.upk and then click Export.  
Note: When you select a file and click Open, you will see what's in the file.  
This is how you find out which file you want to export.  
  
If you press Export this window opens.  
  
Choose an export directory (for example: C:\tmp).  
Set Skeletal Mesh to: gltf 2.0  
Set Static Mesh to: gltf 2.0  
Set Texture format to: png  
Then press OK

Once umodel is done exporting the files, we can close umodel.  
Next we start Blender  
As soon as you started Blender and clicked away that little window in the middle you should see this.  
  
While your mouse is over the 3d viewport, press A to select everything.  
Then press X and then click on Delete to delete everything.  
  
Click on File -> Import -> gltf 2.0  
  
The file we are looking for is CH_S_Kate01.gltf  
  
The file is located in a subfolder of the directory created by umodel.  
* the umodel export directory * \E1_2A_ArtClass_LD\SkeletalMesh3  
Select the file CH_S_Kate01.gltf and click on Import.  
Now you should see something like this.  
  
Check that you are in object mode.  
Click on the bones.  
  
Set the transform pivot point to individual origins.  
  
While the bones are selected, switch to edit mode  
Press A to select all bones.  
Then press S and move your mouse towards the bones to make them smaller.  
Once you're satisfied with the size, left click to set the new size.  
Note: I will not say every time in the course of this tutorial that you have to left click to confirm a change, since it is quite intuitive, I think.  
  
Activate in the Properties the In Front checkbox.  
Now we can see all bones  
Each eye has three bones. These bones are on top of each other.  
So that we can use these bones later, we have to move them away from each other.  
  
With the mouse over your viewport press 1 on the number pad of your keyboard.  
Use shift + middle mouse to move the view in front of Kate's face.  
You may want to zoom in with the mouse wheel.  
Choose one of the bones. Since the bones are on top of each other, it is random which bone is selected.  
Blender Shows which bone is active. In my case LeftDownEye is selected.  
Make sure you select the entire bone and not just its round tip.  
Also, we just want to move the LeftDownEye and the LeftUpEye away.  
If you select the LeftEye bone, click until Blender selects another bone.  
  
While selecting the LeftDownEye or the LeftUpEye, press G.  
Then press X and move the bone to the side.  
Then press the left mouse button.  
  
Repeat the process so that the LeftEye bone is the only bone directly on the eye.  
  
Then do the same with the other eye.  
Now all the bones should be next to each other and not over each other.  
  
Now is a good time to save our progress.  
Press Ctrl + S.  
If you have not saved a project yet, Blender will open a save dialog.  
There is nothing special here.  
Select a location, name the file, and save.  
The next time you press Ctrl + S, Blender will immediately overwrite the file without asking.  
This allows for frequent saving with minimal effort.  
  
The armatur can now be used!  
The next step is not mandatory, but useful in my opinion.  
We will change the look of the bones.  
If you want to skip this step, click here.  
Switch to object mode.  
Press Shift + A and then click on Ico Sphere.  
  
This creates a sphere with the object name "Icosphere"  
  
Next, select the bones and then switch to the Scripting Workespace.  
  
This is the Scripting Workespace.  
  
Copy the script and paste it into the text editor.  
  

    
    
    import bpy
    
    for object in bpy.context.selected_objects[0].data.bones:
        bpy.context.object.pose.bones[object.name].custom_shape = bpy.data.objects["Icosphere"]
    
    

Please note that the space at the beginning of the fourth line is important and must not be missing.  
The object name of the sphere, which we have just added, must be identical to the name given in the script.  
If this is not identical, the script must be edited or the object must be renamed.  
  
Click on Run Script.  
  
Click on Layout to return to the Layout Workespace.  
  
Now you should see something like this.   
Click on the sphere we added earlier to select it.  
Then press X and click on Delete to delete the sphere.  
  
Next we look at our progress.  
  
Later, we want to be able to select every single bone.  
Here the bones are clearly too big.  
If you have the same problem, click on the bones to select them.  
Then switch to edit mode (By the way, you can also switch between edit mode and object mode with the tab key on your keyboard).  
Then select all bones with A.  
Then press S and move your mouse to change the size.  
Switch back to object mode to see the change.  
  
Pay particular attention to the hands ...  
  
... and the face, as there are a lot of bones.  
Now we are almost done with the armature.  
Switch to the pose mode.  
Press A to select all bones.  
  
Make sure that Group Colors is activated in the Properties.  
Click on + at Bone Groups.  
Then click on Assign.  
  
Now you can choose a color theme.  
Giving differently colored bones to different characters is helpful if you work with multiple characters.  
  
Now we're done with the bones.  
This is a good time to save (Ctrl + S).  


Next we will give Kate her textures.  
Click on Shading to switch to the Shading Workespace.  
  
Switch to object mode.  
Click on Kate.  
  
If you look into the properties, you should see that the MT_S_Kate01_Eyelash material is selected.  
If MT_S_Kate01_Eyelash is not selected, click on MT_S_Kate01_Eyelash.  
  
While your mouse is over the Shader Editor, press Shift + A and add an Image Texture Node.  
  
Position the node next to the Principled BSDF Node and  
connect the Color Output to the Base Color input as shown in the picture.  
  
Click on Open at the Image Texture Node.  
  
The file we are looking for is in a subfolder of the directory that we created with umodel.  
* the umodel export directory * \E1_2A_ArtClass_LD\Texture2D\  
  
To make it easier to find the files, type "Kate" in the search field.  
Also change display as to thumbnails.  
  
This is the file we need for the eyelashes.  
Select the file and then click on Open Image  
  
Since this texture has an alpha channel, we need to connect the alpha output of the image  
texture node to the alpha input of the principal BSDF node.  
  
Next in the list we have the material dummy_material_1.  
We will get rid of this material and the mesh that belongs to it.  
This is a good time to save again (Ctrl + S).  
  
Select the dummy_material_1.  
Then change to edit mode.  
  
We have to make sure that nothing is selected.  
One way to do this is by pressing A.  
Now everything is selected.  
And now quickly press A twice.  
Now definitely nothing is selected any longer.  
Then click on Select.  
  
While hovering over the 3D viewport, press X and then click Vertices.  
  
Next, switch to Object mode and click on - to delete the material.  
  
Next we take care of the MT_S_Kate01_Body material.  
  
Make sure MT_S_Kate01_Body is slected.  
While your mouse is over the Shader Editor, press Shift + A and add an Image Texture Node.  
  
As before, connect the Texture Image Node to the Principled BSDF Node and click on Open.  
  
The textures for Kate's 3D model are all in the same folder.  
So we find the texture for Kate's body in the same folder where we found the eyelash texture.  
Selected the image and click on Open Image.  
  
Now we do the same for the MT_S_Kate01_Hair material.  
Select the MT_S_Kate01_Hair material.  
  
Add an Image Texture Node.  
Connect the Image Texture Node to the Principled BSDF Node and click on Open.  
This time we select this image and click on Open Image.  
  
Now we do the same for the MT_S_Kate01_Bag material.  
Select the MT_S_Kate01_Bag material.  
Add an Image Texture Node.  
Connect the Image Texture Node to the Principled BSDF Node and click on Open.  
This time we select this image and click on Open Image.  
  
Do the whole thing again for the MT_S_Kate01_Head material.  
Select the MT_S_Kate01_Head material.  
Add an Image Texture Node.  
Connect the Image Texture Node to the Principled BSDF Node and click on Open.  
This time we select this image and click on Open Image.  
  
Now we're almost done.  
A perfect time to save (Ctrl + S).  
Select Kate and switch to edit mode.  
  
We have to make sure that nothing is selected.  
Press A to select everything.  
Now quickly press A twice.  
Next we select Kate's eyes.  
Move your mouse over an eye of Kate, then press L.  
Then do the same with Kate's other eye.  
  
Make sure you have selected the MT_S_Kate01_Head material.  
Then select the Texture Image Node and press Ctrl + C to copy the node.  
  
Click on + to create a new material.  
  
Then click on New.  
  
Now click on Assign.  
  
Move your mouse over the shader editor and press Ctrl + V to paste the node that we copied.  
Connect the Texture Image Node and the Principle BSDF Node as usual.  
Set the Roughness to 0  
Set the Specular to 0.1  
  
we should rename the collection in which the Kate model is located.  
  
Double click on the collection and enter a catchy name.  
  
Now we have one last thing to do.  
Click File -> External Data -> Pack all into .blend  
Now all external files (textures) are in our blend file.  
  
Press Ctrl + S because we're done!  
There is more we could do, but I think that would not necessarily improve the model.

Click on File -> New -> General  
  
first delete the cube.  
Slect the cube, press X and click Delete.  
  
Next we split our 3D viewport so that we have two 3D viewports.  
To do this, move your mouse into one of the corners of the 3D viewport.  
As soon as the cursor changes his look press and hold the left mouse button and move your mouse to the side to set the size of the new 3D viewport.  
  
Move your mouse over one of the 3D viewports and press 0 on your number pad.  
Now we see in this 3D viewport, the view of the camera.  
I will refer to this 3D viewport as camera viewport later on.  
I will refer to the other 3D viewport as the working viewport.  
  
Change the viewport shading of the camera viewport to Material Preview.  
  
Set the rendering engine to Cycles.  
  
Set the size of the image you want to create.  
Activate Render Region.  
  
Activate Denoising.  
  
I think now is a good time to save this project (Ctrl + S).  
Click on File -> Append ...  
  
Navigate to the file that contains our Kate model.  
Double click the file.  
  
Double click on Collection.  
  
Select the Kate collection and click on Append.   
Now we have the Kate model in our project.  
So that we can work with the model without changing our original model.  
  
Select the icosphere and press X and click Delete.  
  
Now we position the camera.  
Of course you can just select the camera and then move it with G and rotate it with R.  
I personally like to do the following.  
Select the bones and switch to pose mode.  
  
Select a bone in Kate's face.  
  
Now with the selected bone and with the mouse over the working viewport press the decimal point key on your numpad  
(Depending on your keyboard, this is the ',' key or the '.' key. The key is usually at the bottom between the 0 key and the Enter key.).   
Now our vision is close to the bone and our vision rotates around the bone when we hold down the middle mouse button and move the mouse.  
Change the view in your working viewport until you find an angle that you like.  
Hold the middle mouse button to rotate the view.  
Hold Shift and the middle mouse button to move your view.  
Turn your mouse wheel to zoom.  
When you are satisfied, press while your mouse is over your working viewport Ctrl + Alt + 0 (numpad)  
  
Now the camera is close to where we want it to be.  
With your mouse over your working viewport, hold down the middle mouse button and move your mouse.  
Switch to object mode and click on the camera.  
  
Now we bring the camera into its final position.  
With the mouse over your working viewport press G and then Z twice. Now you can move the camera closer or further away.  
With the mouse over your camera viewport press G to move the camera. To decrease the sensitivity hold Shift.  
With the mouse over your working viewport press R and then Z to rotate the camera left or right.  
With the mouse over your working viewport press R and then X twice to rotate the camera up or down.  
With the mouse over your working viewport press G and then Z to move the camera up or down.  
With the mouse over your working viewport press 7 on your numpad, then press G to move the camera in the X and Y direction.  
  
Once we're satisfied with the position of the camera, we can start to pose Kate  
Select the bones.  
Switch to pose mode.  
  
In the camera viewport click the icon with the two overlapping circles to hide the bones.  
  
In the working viewport change the Object Gizmos to Local and activate Rotate.  
  
Select the bone on one of Kate's shoulders.  
Several circles around the bone now appear.  
By moving the mouse over one of the circles, holding down the left mouse button and moving your mouse, you can rotate the arm.  
Do the same with Kate's other arm.  
  
Next, select Kate's neck and rotate her head a bit in our direction.  
When was the last time you saved?  
  
Click here to hide the colored circles.  
  
Set the Transform Pivot Point to Individual Origins.  
  
Select the two bones on Kate's eyes.  
Press R and then press Z.  
Move your mouse, until Kate looks in the direction of the camera, then left click.  
Then press R and then press X twice. Move your mouse until Kate looks at the camera, then left click.   
Select the bones at Kate's upper lip and the bones at the corners of Kate's mouth.  
Press G and then Z twice.  
Move your mouse up a bit and then left click.  
  
Next select only the bones at the corners of Kate's mouth.  
Press G and then Z twice.  
Move your mouse up a bit and then left click.  
  
Next select the bones at Kate's bottom lip.  
Press G and then Z twice.  
Move your mouse up a bit and then left click.  
  
With the mouse over your camera viewport press Z and select Rendered.   
Now we take care of the lighting.  
Click on the color field in the World Properties.  
A small window appears.  
Slide the slider on the right up to make the world brighter.  
  
Switch to object mode.  
Select the light.  
If you press G you can move the light around.  
I recommend trying this out.  
  
If you have a light selected you can change the properties of the light in the Object Data Properties.  
Here you can change the type of light source, the color and the intensity of the light, for example.  
  
Next we should give our picture a background.  
Click on Edit -> Preferences...  
  
In the small window that opens, click on Add-ons.  
Find and activate the Import Images as Planes add-on.  
  
Of course you can use any picture as background.  
At the end of this tutorial you will find a link to another tutorial that shows you how to move the camera freely in Life is Strange.  
So you can use any place from the game as a background.  
For now you can use this background if you want.  
  
Click on File -> Import -> Images as Planes  
  
Once you've imported the image, position it behind Kate.  
Press G to move the plane.  
You will probably also need to rotate the plane.  
Remember that you can use these colored circles here, which we used earlier for the bones.  
You may also want to make the picture larger or smaller.  
Press S and then move your mouse to do this.  
  
Once you are satisfied, press F12.  
  
Once the image is rendered, press Shift + S.  
This opens a save dialog with which you can save the image.

Here is the link to the tutorial, which shows you how to move your Kammera freely in Life is Strange:  
<https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=656832219>


End file.
